The Virtues of Abu Bakr as-Siddique (رضي الله عنه‎)

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) came out during his illness from which he died his head bound with a cloth. He sat on the minbar, thanked Allaah, praised Him and said: "There is no one among the people who has been more generous to me with his life and his property than Abu Bakr ibn Abee Quhaafa and if I was to take a bosom friend, I would take Abu Bakr as my bosom friend. But, the friendship of Islaam is better. Block off every door in this Masjid except the door of Abu Bakr." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Being the closest Companion to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم), Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was also the most knowledgeable of them and the quickest to both believe and to understand teachings of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم), as we see in the following hadeeth:

Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudree (رضي الله عنه‎) reports:

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) gave a khutbah and said: "Allaah gave a slave the choice between this world and that which is with Him and that slave chose that which is with Allaah." Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) began to weep and we were surprised that he should cry like that just because the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) mentioned that Allaah gave a slave a choice. As it turned out, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was the one who was given the choice and Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was the most knowledgeable among us. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Shortly before his death, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) gave us very important waseeya or "parting advice" on a variety of subjects. Among them were the virtues of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎). Also among them were various warnings about practices of shirk and bid'ah which the nations have always fallen into in periods if ignorance after the messenger has departed. One such practice was excess with regard to graves of prophets and righteous individuals. Turning graves into places of worship (or burying people in places of worship) is completely forbidden in Islaam and has been one of the main gateways to shirk through the ages.

Jundub (رضي الله عنه‎) narrates:

I heard the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) five days before his death saying: "I declare my innocence before Allaah that I should have any bosom friend among you for Allaah Most High has taken me as His friend just as He took Ibrahim as His friend. If I were to take any bosom friend from my nation I would take Abu Bakr. Listen! Those who came before you took the graves of their prophets and their righteous ones as places of worship. Listen! Do not take graves as places of worship. I forbid you that." [Saheeh Muslim]

How sad it is that so many of our Muslim brothers and sisters continue to live in disobedience and disrespect of this great waseeya (final advice) of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم).

Amr ibn Al-Aas (رضي الله عنه‎) narrates:

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) sent me to the army during the battle of Dhat Al-Salaasil. When I returned to him (صلى الله علیه وسلم), I asked him (صلى الله علیه وسلم): "Who is most beloved to you?" He said: "Aa'ishah." I said: "What about among men?" He said: "Her father." I said: "And then who?" He said: "Then Umar ibn Al-Khattab." And then he listed some other men. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

The Companions were well aware of who were the first few Companions in closeness to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs were chosen on that basis. Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما) reports:

"We used to discuss the best of the people during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and we saw the best as Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthmaan ibn Affaan, (رضي الله عنهم)." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Alee ibn Abee Talib (رضي الله عنه‎) was also very much aware of this and bore witness to it as we see in this narration from his son:

"I said to my father: 'Who is the best of the people after Allaah's Messenger (صلى الله علیه وسلم)?' He said: 'Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎).' I said: 'And then who?' He said: 'And then Umar ibn Al-Khattab.' I was afraid that he would say Uthmaan next, so I said: 'And then you?' To which he answered: 'I am nothing but a man among the Muslims.'" [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Also:

"Once, there was a problem between Abu Bakr and Umar. Eventually, Umar came to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and said: 'O Allaah's Messenger, I was wrong.' He repeated it twice. Then, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Allaah sent me to you and you said: 'You lie.' But Abu Bakr said: 'He speaks the truth.' And he supported me with his life and his property so could you please leave for me my companion?" He said it twice. Abu Bakr was never mistreated after that. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was the quickest of the Companions to rush to any good deed:

Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه‎) said: "The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) ordered us to give sadaqah. It happened to coincide with some wealth I had just acquired and I said to myself: If I will ever surpass Abu Bakr, this is the day I will surpass him. And so I came to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) with half of my wealth and he (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said to me: "What have you left for your family?" I said: "The same amount." Then Abu Bakr came with all of his wealth. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said to him: "What have you left for your family?" He said: "I have left them Allaah and His Messenger." I said: 'I will never surpass you in anything.'" [Abu Daawood with an authenticity of "hasan"]

In addition to telling us that Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was the closest person in this world to himself, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) bore witness to many of the virtues of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) and informed us and him that he is among the people of Paradise. How then can those who condemn this great Companion and accuse him of "stealing" the Caliphate etc. ever face Allaah with their lies?

Anas Ibn Maalik (رضي الله عنه‎) narrates:

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was on Mound Uhud with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthmaan when the mountain trembled. He (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Stay still, Uhud for upon you are a Prophet, a siddique and two martyrs." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

As-Siddique was a title given to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) by the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) which means the greatest in belief or the quickest to believe.

Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was always there for the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and was the quickest to come to his defense and to affirm and believe everything which came from the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم). Urwa ibn Az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه‎) said:

I asked Amr ibn Al-Aas: "What was the most severe thing the mushrikeen ever did to Allaah's Messenger?" He answered: "Once, when the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was praying in the court of the Ka'bah, Uqba ibn Abee Mu'eet came put a piece of cloth around his neck and began choking him severely. Abu Bakr came along grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away from the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) saying: 'Do you kill a man just for saying my Lord is Allaah?'" [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Anas ibn Maalik (رضي الله عنه‎) said:

"They beat the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) one day until he lost consciousness. Abu Bakr stood and began calling out: Woe to you! 'Do you kill a man just for saying my Lord is Allaah?' The people asked one another: 'Who is this?' And they said: 'That is Ibn Abee Quhaafa the madman.'" [Abu Ya'laa with an authenticity of hasan]

"...Whoever is among the people of prayer will be called (to paradise) from the door of prayer. Whoever is among the people of Jihaad will be called from the door of Jihaad. Whoever is among the people of sadaqah will be called from the door of sadaqah. Whoever is among the people of fasting is called from the door of fasting and the door of Ar-Rayaan." Abu Bakr said "...Is anyone called from all of those doors, O Messenger of Allaah?" He (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Yes, and I hope that you will be among them, Abu Bakr." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

In a lengthy hadeeth Abu Moosaa Al-Ash'aree (رضي الله عنه‎) describes how he set out to accompany Allaah's Messenger (صلى الله علیه وسلم) one day wherever he went:

He followed him to a well called Bi'r Arees which had a structure and a palm-leaf door. He found the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) sitting on the middle of the edge of the well with his clothing up to his knees and dangling his legs in the well. He said to himself that he will be the doorman for Allaah's Messenger (صلى الله علیه وسلم). After a while, Abu Bakr came. He told him to wait and asked the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) permission. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Permit him to enter and give him good tidings of Paradise." Abu Bakr came in and sat on the right of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and dangled his legs inside as the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was doing. Next, Umar came. Abu Moosaa likewise asked him to wait at the door and took permission from the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم), who said: "Permit him to enter and give him good tidings of Paradise." He entered, sat on the left of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and dangled his legs in the well like the other two. After that, Uthmaan came and Abu Moosaa likewise stopped him and asked the Prophet's permission. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Permit him to enter and give him good tidings of Paradise along with some trials which will afflict him." Uthmaan entered, but found the edge of the well filled and so he sat on the other side of the well. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

"Whoever drags his clothing on the ground in pride will not be looked at by Allaah on Qiyamah." Abu Bakr said: One side of my garment always drags on the ground unless I constantly tend to it. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said to him: "You do not do that out of pride." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was one of those mentioned in the Qur'aan who "responded to Allaah and His Messenger after being injured." Aa'ishah (رضي الله عنها) reports regarding Allaah's statement:

"Those who responded to Allaah and His Messenger after they had been afflicted with injury - to those who did good and feared Allaah among them is a great reward." [Aal Imraan: 172]

She said:

"...Az-Zubair and Abu Bakr - after the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was injured at Uhud and the mushrikeen backed off, but it was feared they would return - the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "Who will go after them?" Seventy men responded to that and among them were Abu Bakr and Az-Zubair." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

"With one of you is Jibreel and with the other is Mikaa'eel and Israfeel and another great angel who participates in battle." [Ahmad with an authenticity of saheeh]

When the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was in his final sickness and could not attend the prayer he said:

"Order Abu Bakr to lead the prayer."

Aa'ishah (رضي الله عنها) said:

"I said to Hafsah (رضي الله عنها): 'Go and say to him that when Abu Bakr leads the prayer people cannot hear his recitation because of his weeping so ask Umar to lead the prayer.' When Hafsah said this to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم), he said: 'Be quiet. You are surely the women of Yoosuf. Order Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.' Hafsah went back to Aa'ishah and said: 'I never got any good from you!'"

And so Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) lead the prayer during the life of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم).

The people found Umar ibn Khattab (رضي الله عنه‎) and Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was not yet there and they told him to lead the prayer. When the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) heard Umar's voice leading the prayer, he said:

"And where is Abu Bakr? Allaah and the Muslims reject this. Allaah and the Muslims reject this."

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) then sent for Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) and he led the people in prayer after Umar (رضي الله عنه‎) had already led them in that same prayer. This is from Abu Daawood with an authenticity of "hasan".

Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said:

"For me to step forward and have my head cut off is dearer to me than for me to be in the front of a group which contains Abu Bakr." [Saheeh]

The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) made no "official" appointment of a successor, but left plenty of signs that Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه‎) was to succeed him as his Khaleefah.

A woman came to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and he ordered her to come back later. She said: "What if I come and I don't find you?" (indicating his death). He (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said: "If you don't find me, then go to Abu Bakr." [Saheeh Bukhaaree]

"...I want to send for Abu Bakr and his son and make an official appointment lest any speaker speak or any desirous one desire." [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]

Aa'ishah (رضي الله عنها) said to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم):

"Allaah refuses and the believers will repel it."

Or, she (رضي الله عنها) said:

"Allaah refuses and the believers refuse it."

Aa'ishah (رضي الله عنها) narrates:

Allaah's Messenger said to me in his final illness: "Call Abu Bakr and his brother so I can write an official document for I fear that some desirous one may follow his desires and say: 'I am more appropriate.' And Allaah and the believers reject all but Abu Bakr." [Saheeh Muslim]

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